Just like a machine will “strike” after being used for a long time, everyone may have gastritis in their lifetime. But if it is found to be atrophic gastritis, will it develop into gastric cancer?
Once there is stomach disease, if it is not controlled, the development of most gastric cancer will follow the following rules:
Non-atrophic gastritis
↓
Atrophic gastritis
↓
Intestinal metaplasia
↓
Dysplasia
↓
Gastric cancer
So, will atrophic gastritis develop into gastric cancer?
Wang Xiaoteng, a gastroenterologist at the First Hospital of Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, published an article on the hospital’s public account in 2019 and replied: Yes, but the incidence is very low. According to statistics, the annual incidence of gastric cancer in patients with atrophic gastritis is about 1%②. Moreover, the occurrence and development of gastric cancer is a chronic and long-term process. As long as there is regular review, even if there is cancer, it can be detected early.
How can I tell if I belong to the 1%?
Dr. Wang Xiaoteng said that in clinical practice, this 1% population is usually defined as a high-risk group.
How to define high-risk groups? There are the following aspects for your reference:
First, the scope and degree of gastric mucosal atrophy
The degree of atrophy is divided into three grades: mild, moderate and severe. Obviously, in patients with severe atrophy, the risk of cancer must be higher than that with mild atrophy. At the same time, the wider the shrinkage, the higher the risk.
Second, whether the pathology report contains the words “dysplasia or intraepithelial neoplasia”
“dysplasia” or “intraepithelial neoplasia” is actually the same concept. Its presence usually indicates a higher risk of gastric cancer.
However, it should also be pointed out that most mild dysplasia can be reversed after regular treatment, while severe dysplasia increases the risk of cancer significantly.
Third, considering physiological aging, the risk of the same degree of “atrophic gastritis” in the elderly is smaller than that in the young.
In fact, for people over 60 years old, gastric mucosal cells are originally Atrophy may occur due to aging of the body. Therefore, for the elderly, atrophic gastritis is not necessarily equivalent to a disease. On the contrary, the atrophy of the gastric mucosa occurs in the age of 20, 30, etc. that should not be atrophied, and it should be paid more attention.
What should I do if I have “atrophic gastritis”?
1. Early detection
Zhang Min, deputy chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, said on the hospital’s WeChat public account in 2020 that most patients with atrophic gastritis do not have any symptoms. Symptoms, those with symptoms are mainly manifested as indigestion, such as upper abdominal pain, abdominal distension, postprandial fullness and early satiety, loss of appetite, belching, pantothenic acid, nausea, etc. Some patients may also experience weight loss, fatigue, forgetfulness, anxiety, Psychiatric symptoms such as depression.
If the above symptoms occur frequently, it is recommended to go to the outpatient department of gastroenterology for early detection.
2. Follow-up on time
Dr. Wang Xiaoteng reminded in the above article that for patients with atrophic gastritis, gastroscopic follow-up is always the first priority.
Mild atrophic gastritis without dysplasia, the follow-up time can be extended to 2 years.
Patients with severe atrophy accompanied by dysplasia should be followed up every year.
For some patients with moderate or severe dysplasia, the follow-up time will be shorter and even require current endoscopic treatment or surgery.
During the follow-up process, don’t put too much psychological burden on yourself, eat and drink, and live as usual. There are symptoms of digestive tract discomfort, which can be solved by outpatient dispensing. No tumor was found after gastroscopy, so relax.
3. Follow the doctor’s orders to take medicines
Dr. Wang Xiaoteng said that supplementing folic acid, trace elements, and reducing the intake of high-fat, high-salt, fried and pickled products can prevent shrinkage to a certain extent. effect. If there is Helicobacter pylori infection, bactericidal treatment is recommended. But in general, there is no specific drug that can reverse gastric mucosal atrophy.
4. Improve living habits
To maintain a good stomach and stay away from stomach cancer, you must have a good living habit. Ji Jiafu, Dean of Peking University Cancer Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2018, reminding us to pay attention to the following living habits:
▶Don’t gobble up your meals in a hurry;
▶Don’t eat Too full, often aggravating the gastrointestinal burden;
▶Don’t live erratically, eating is often “starved, full”, often even skipping breakfast, and sometimes overeating;
▶Less bacon, fried, baked, charred food and high-temperature cooking oil used many times, which contain a lot of carcinogens;
▶No smoking, less Drinking alcohol;
▶Advocating a divided meal system in terms of eating methods, adding an extra pair of public chopsticks when eating, and protecting yourself for the health of your family, which can avoid cross-infection with Helicobacter pylori.
(Health Times)